Self-contained, mobile rack repair method

ABSTRACT

A novel method of repairing and modifying a heavy-duty industrial rack includes: a) providing an enclosed trailer having: 1) a forklift compartment; 2) a ramp for the loading and unloading a forklift and its payload to and from the trailer; 3) a forklift for moving a rack to and from the trailer; 4) a rack repair compartment; 5) rack repair raw materials; 6) at least one rack component bonding apparatus for bonding components of the rack; 7) at least one rack component bending apparatus; 8) at least one rack machining apparatus; and 9) a hitch for coupling the trailer to a truck for moving the trailer to a new location when desired; and b) moving the trailer to an onsite location having a rack targeted for repair or modification. The method also at least includes: c) unloading the forklift from the trailer via the ramp; d) driving to the forklift to the targeted rack; e) lifting the targeted rack and transporting it to the trailer; f) loading the targeted rack onto the trailer via the ramp; g) locating the targeted industrial rack in the rack repair compartment; h) performing repairs or modifications on the rack; i) after repairs or modifications, lifting and removing the rack from the trailer via the forklift and the ramp; j) driving the repaired or modified rack to an onsite location; and k) unloading the repaired or modified rack from the forklift. A novel trailer apparatus is separately disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/699,279 filed Sep. 8, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S.Application Ser. No. 62/385,306 filed Sep. 9, 2016, the disclosures ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the repair of heavy-duty industrialracks.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to the efficient repair and modification ofexisting large, heavy-duty industrial racks (“racks”) of the type usedfor the convenient and temporary hanging and storage of heavycomponents. While the present invention is much broader in scope, anexample of such a rack is one used in a factory setting as part of anongoing manufacturing process in the automotive industry for hangingmultiple heavy parts (e.g., transmissions) until the parts are ready fortheir eventual inclusion in a larger production unit as shown in FIG. 1.

Given the robust structural requirements, racks of the above type arevery heavy and expensive, and pose unique challenges when there is aneed to repair them (e.g., as a result of damage or unacceptabledeformations) or modify them. The challenges include a lack of parts orraw material needed to repair the rack and a lack of the specialequipment needed to repair the rack.

The prior art approach to repairing industrial racks is to ship themoffsite to a facility having the necessary heavy duty welding, bending,and other repair apparatuses, as well as having the necessary repair rawmaterials. In addition to the cost of shipping the rack to the repairfacility and back, the time needed to accomplish the shipping cansignificantly slow and even halt factory production in the interim. Whatis therefore sorely needed but not provided by the prior art is anapproach for achieving substantial cost and time reductions during therepair or modification of heavy-duty industrial racks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes a novel enclosed trailer at leastincluding: a designated forklift compartment adapted to accommodate aforklift; a ramp operatively coupled to the forklift compartment for theloading and unloading of the forklift and its payload to and from thetrailer; a designated rack repair compartment adapted to accommodate theindustrial rack during repairs or modifications; a rack for repair rawmaterials adapted to be utilized in the repair or modification of theindustrial rack in the trailer; at least one rack component bondingapparatus for bonding components of the rack to be repaired or modified;a metalworking compartment with at least one rack component bendingapparatus for bending components of the rack to be repaired or modifiedand at least one rack machining apparatus for machining components ofsaid rack to be repaired or modified; and a hitch adapted to operativelycouple the trailer to a truck for moving the trailer to a new locationwhen desired; wherein the trailer is adapted to be a movable,self-contained industrial rack repair and modification unit capable ofonsite industrial rack repairs and modifications.

This disclosure provides a method of repairing and modifying aheavy-duty industrial rack, at least including: a) providing an enclosedtrailer, the trailer having: 1) a designated forklift compartmentadapted to accommodate a forklift, 2) a ramp operatively coupled to theforklift compartment for the loading and unloading of the forklift andits payload to and from the trailer, 3) a compartment capable of holdinga forklift adapted to lift and move a heavy duty industrial rack from anonsite location to the trailer for repair or modification of theindustrial rack, and for lifting and removing the industrial rack fromthe trailer back to the onsite location after repair or modification ofthe industrial rack, 4) a designated rack repair compartment adapted toaccommodate the industrial rack during repairs or modifications, 5) acompartment for rack repair raw materials adapted to be utilized in therepair or modification of the industrial rack in the trailer, a metalworking compartment with 6) at least one rack component bondingapparatus for bonding components of the rack to be repaired or modified,7) at least one rack component bending apparatus for bending componentsof the rack to be repaired or modified, 8) at least one rack machiningapparatus for machining components of the rack to be repaired ormodified, and 9) a hitch adapted to operatively couple the trailer to atruck for moving the trailer to a new location when desired; b) movingthe trailer via a truck to a location having an industrial rack targetedfor repair or modification; c) transporting the targeted industrial rackto the trailer; d) loading the targeted industrial rack onto the trailerwith a forklift and via the ramp; e) locating the targeted industrialrack in the designated rack repair compartment; f) performing desiredrepairs or modifications on the targeted industrial rack in thedesignated rack repair compartment; g) after repairs or modifications,removing the targeted industrial rack from the trailer via the ramp; h)returning a repaired or modified targeted, industrial rack to an onsitelocation: and i) unloading the repaired or modified targeted, industrialrack to the onsite location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a heavy-duty, industrialstrength rack that could be repaired or modified using the presentinvention.

FIG. 2a shows a side view of an embodiment of a trailer used to repairor modify industrial racks according to the present invention.

FIG. 2b shows a top view of an embodiment of a trailer used to repair ormodify industrial racks according to the present invention.

FIG. 3a shows a side view of an example of a trailer attached to atruck, the two cooperating to provide a mobile, self-contained unit forthe repair and modification of industrial racks.

FIG. 3b shows a side view of an example of a hitch connecting a trailerused to repair or modify industrial racks according to the presentinvention to a truck.

FIG. 3c shows the triple axel configuration of a trailer, which assistin spreading the load of the trailer contents across the ground, whichis especially important when the forklift is in the trailer.

FIG. 4 shows the interior of the trailer including a transportcompartment.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment for a trailer rear door which opens to form aramp according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows the interior of the trailer repair compartment. The railson which the welder slides are also visible.

FIG. 7 shows the interior of the trailer including a metal workingcompartment.

FIG. 8a shows a side view of the exterior of the trailer used to repairor modify industrial racks according to the present invention.

FIG. 8b shows a side view of the exterior of a hitch and an accessorycompartment portion of a trailer used to repair or modify industrialracks according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a trailer used to repair or modifyindustrial racks according to the present invention with multipleexterior doors including alternative hinge capability.

FIG. 10 shows a top view of another embodiment of a trailer used torepair or modify industrial racks according to the present invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended. Any alterations and further modificationsin the described embodiments, and any further applications of theprinciples of the invention as described herein are contemplated aswould normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates.

Disclosed is a novel approach to repairing and modifying heavy duty,industrial-strength fixtures such as the one shown in FIG. 1. Theexample given of a fixture 100 has several high-strength members foraccommodating several heavy manufacturing components at once until theyare ready for inclusion in the manufacturing process. For example, therack 100 can carry several transmissions waiting to be used in an enginemanufacturing process. It will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that the fixtures are not limited to a particular type, nor limitedto a particular industry. When a fixture becomes damaged due tobreakage, bending, collision and the like, repair becomes necessary tomaintain the integrity of the fixture for continued use.

One embodiment of a repair trailer 200 of the present application isshown in FIGS. 2a and 2b of a top view and side view, respectively.Trailer 200 is the size of the commonly known semi-trailer but is notlimited to any particular size and can be sized for truck, rail or seatransport carriers. In the example given, the load capacity is 44,000pounds, and it has three axles rather than the two axles of mostsemi-trailers. In FIG. 2 b, the trailer 200 is fully enclosed by itsbody 204 to protect the contents and the repair processes carried out inthe trailer from the elements. The rear door 206 is speciallyconstructed to convert into a heavy-duty ramp of such strength to handlethe weight of a common industrial truck and a fixture to be repaired.The ramp 206 is further illustrated in its deployed position in FIG. 5.In particular embodiment, the bottom, back edge of the trailer is nomore than 24 inches above the ground. Thus, when the back door isdeployed as a ramp and engages the ground, the angle of the ramp permitsa forklift to be safely driven into or out of the trailer.

Wheel wells 208 cover the multiple, primary load-bearing wheels 210 ofthe trailer. Further detail of the reinforced wheel wells 208 of thetrailer 200 can be seen in FIG. 3 b. In the preferred embodiment, thetrailer 200 includes side doors 216, 218 for the side entry of racks andpersonnel when needed, a heavy duty jack stand 212, and a pivotal hitch214 for pivotally hitching the trailer to a truck for transport of thetrailer to repair sites. Further details are shown in FIG. 3c of thehitch 214 as part of the trailer 200 when it is connected to a truck orhauling equipment 300 adequate to haul the trailer 200 with its variouscomponents.

As can be seen from the top view of FIG. 2 a, the trailer 200 has adesignated transport compartment 220 designed to housing a piece ofindustrial equipment such as a forklift 222. Further details of thetransport compartment 220 are shown in FIG. 4. The transport compartment220 is shown being located in the trailer body 204 approximately in thearea of the back door 206 and the wheel wells 208. The transportcomportment 220 is ideally located over the primary load bearing wheels212 and at the rear end of the trailer 200 for optimal weight balanceand operation when carrying a piece of industrial equipment 222 in thetransport area 220. The industrial equipment or forklift 222 can be usedto lift and transport fixtures targeted for repair from the factoryfloor into the trailer 200.

A designated repair compartment 230, ideally located approximate to theside doors 216, 218, provides space within the trailer 200 needed toplace a fixture or rack while it is being repaired or modified. FIG. 6shows the repair compartment 203 with a heavy duty welding machine 232to weld rack components positioned on rails 234 attached to a wall ofthe trailer body 204. The rails 234 allow better access to the variousparts of a fixture being repaired that need to be welded.

A metal working compartment 240 stores stationary and mobile powerequipment for carrying out repairs. FIG. 7 shows the metal workingcompartment 240 with the power repair equipment which includes, but isnot limited to, a horizontal bandsaw 242; a grinder with cut-off andgrinding wheels; a drill press 244; and a hydraulic press 246 tostraighten or bend metallic members.

As the trailer 200 is capable of full enclosure, it will be appreciatedthat the features could include such components as an exhaust fan unit252 for exhausting noxious fumes during repair processes and a heatingand cooling unit 254 to adjust the internal ambient temperature asneeded. The trailer interior can also be provided with interior lights,which may be power either by a batteries or generator 256/breaker box258 to which the other power tools may be connected.

The trailer 200 contains or may carry a power generator 256 with aseparate fuel supply for independently powering the trailer equipment asneeded for all rack repairs and modifications. The generator providespower to a breaker box 258 which further feeds power to the remainingelectrical-driven components in the trailer.

FIGS. 8a and 8b show a trailer 200 with an accessory compartment 250which may include components such as the exhaust fan unit 252, theheating and cooling unit 254, batteries, the generator 256, the breakerbox 258 and the like.

A storage cabinet 260 can hold a variety of miscellaneous tools(including clamps and others) as well as raw material used in repairs.As a matter of design choice the raw materials can be stored elsewhere,including a special, dedicated repair material compartment. The rawmaterials can include fixture components, plates, specialized hardware,and a variety of other things necessary for rack repairs.

The trailer 200 may be conveniently transported to factories or otherlocations where rack repairs are needed as part of a combination 400 ofthe trailer 200 and a truck 300, as shown in FIG. 3 a. This obviates theneed for long and expensive transporting of racks to be repaired tospecialized repair facilities.

In operation, the self-contained, mobile rack repair unit is transportedto any location reachable by the truck. The back door/ramp 206 islowered and a forklift 232 is driven down the ramp 206. Equipment can bestored in the repair compartment 230 during transport of the trailer 200and moved outside the trailer 200 once the trailer 200 has reached therepair location. For example, if the generator is of a type such that itis not permanently attached to the trailer 200, then the side doors 216,218 are opened and a forklift can remove the generator from the repaircompartment 230 and place it next to the trailer 200. The portablegenerator may then be attached to the breaker box by a power cord andstarted to supply power the tools and lights within the trailer 200.

The forklift 222 can be driven to the location of a fixture targeted forrepair. The forklift 222 lifts the fixture and transports it to thetrailer 200. The side doors 216, 218 of the trailer can be openedallowing the fixture to be placed in the repair and modificationcompartment 230. Alternatively, the fixture could be placed intocompartment 230 by driving it up the ramp 206 and through the transportcompartment to the repair compartment. In an alternate embodiment, theside door or doors may be configured to fold downward to form a ramp,like the back door ramp 206 on the back of the trailer 200.

FIG. 9 shows another alternative where there are multiple side doors236,238 on the trailer 200. The alternative side doors 236,238 can behinged to open as a ramp, as an overhang area, or as a system of panelsthat can form additional space in the repair compartment 230 of thetrailer 200.

Once the fixture is in the repair compartment 230, the necessary repairsand modifications to the fixture are carried out using the appropriateraw materials and equipment—all stored in the trailer 200. When allrepairs and modifications are made, the forklift 222 transports thefixture out of the repair compartment 230. The trailer 200 is now readyfor new repair activities, whether at the same location, or at newlocation.

In one embodiment, a factory may move all racks requiring repair to acommon area, such as a parking lot. The above method may be used tosequentially repair each rack. This will save considerable time andexpense as compared to separately shipping each rack to a distant repairshop. Also, depending on the size of the rack, multiple racks may be putin the compartment so work on them may proceed simultaneously.

In another embodiment of the present application as shown in FIG. 10, atrailer 201 can be configured with a trailer body 205, including a backdoor 207 configured to act as a ramp for the trailer 201; a transportcompartment 221 located at the rear of the trailer body 205 near theback door and over rear-axel wheel wells 209; a repair compartment 231adequate to house fixtures to be repaired during the repair process andthe equipment necessary to complete the repairs; a side pedestrian door225; trailer access doors 237,239 which can be hinged to create a ramp,an overhang, or additional compartment space; a storage area 261 whichcan store raw materials and repair equipment; an equipment room 271which can house equipment such as an air compressor; and an accessorycompartment 251 which can house accessory equipment such as HVAC units,generators, and power supply storage.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and thatall changes and modifications that come within the spirit of theinventions are desired to be protected. It should be understood thatwhile the use of words such as preferable, preferably, preferred or morepreferred utilized in the description above indicate that the feature sodescribed ma be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary andembodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope ofthe invention, the scope being defined by the claims that follow. Inreading the claims, it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,”“at least one,” or “at least one portion” are used there is no intentionto limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to thecontrary in the claim. When the language “at least a portion” and/or “aportion” is used the item can include a portion and/or the entire itemunless specifically stated to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. An enclosed trailer comprising: a trailer body; atransport compartment adapted to accommodate an industrial truck; a rampoperatively coupled to the transport compartment for the loading andunloading of the industrial truck and a payload of the industrial truckto and from the trailer body; a fixture work compartment adapted toaccommodate the industrial fixture during performance of work on theindustrial fixture.
 2. The enclosed trailer of claim 1 further includingan industrial truck adapted to lift and move an industrial fixture froman onsite location to the trailer body for work to be performed on theindustrial fixture and for lifting and removing the industrial fixturefrom the trailer body back to the onsite location after work isperformed on the industrial fixture.
 3. The enclosed trailer of claim 1wherein the metal working equipment further includes: at least onefixture component bonding apparatus for bonding components of theindustrial fixture to be worked on; at least one fixture componentbending apparatus for bending components of the industrial fixture to beworked on; and at least one fixture machining apparatus for machiningcomponents of the industrial fixture to be worked on.
 4. The enclosedtrailer of claim 1 further includes a set of trailer access doorslocated on a side of the trailer body and positioned to provide accessto at least one compartment of the trailer body.
 5. The enclosed trailerof claim 4 wherein the trailer access doors further include a hingemechanism to provide an access feature selected from the groupconsisting of: a ramp, an overhang, an additional compartment, andcombinations thereof.
 6. The enclosed trailer of claim 1 furtherincludes an accessory equipment compartment configured to providestorage of accessory equipment during a transportation phase and accessto accessory equipment during a work performance phase.
 7. The enclosedtrailer of claim 6 wherein accessory equipment includes equipmentselected from a group consisting of: an HVAC component, an aircompressor, a generator, a power supply component, a power storagecomponent, and combinations thereof.
 8. The enclosed trailer of claim 1further includes a reinforced wheel well on the trailer body.
 9. Theenclosed trailer of claim 1 wherein performance of work includes a jobselected from a group consisting of: a repair, a modification, andcombinations thereof.
 10. The enclosed trailer of claim 1 wherein thefixture work compartment further includes a welder coupled to thetrailer body in the fixture work compartment through a set of rails. 11.The enclosed trailer of claim 1 comprising: a storage compartment forstorage of raw materials adapted to be utilized in the performance ofwork on the industrial fixture in the trailer body.
 12. The enclosedtrailer of claim 1 comprising: a metal working compartment configured toinclude metal working equipment used in performance of work on theindustrial figure.
 13. The enclosed trailer of claim 1 comprising: ahitch adapted to operatively couple the trailer body to a powered truckfor moving the trailer body to a new location when desired.
 14. Theenclosed trailer of claim 1 wherein: the trailer body is adapted to be amovable, self-contained industrial fixture repair and modification unitcapable of onsite industrial fixture repairs and modifications.
 15. Amethod of repairing and modifying a heavy-duty industrial fixture of theenclosed trailer of claim 1, comprising: a) providing an enclosedtrailer, the enclosed trailer comprising: 1) a trailer body, 2) atransport compartment adapted to accommodate an industrial truck, 3) aramp operatively coupled to the transport compartment for loading andunloading of the industrial truck and a payload of the industrial truckto and from the trailer, and 4) a fixture work compartment adapted toaccommodate the industrial fixture during performance of work; b) movingthe trailer via the truck to an onsite location having an industrialfixture targeted for performance of work; c) utilizing the industrialtruck to transport to the trailer the industrial fixture which has beentargeted for performance of work; d) loading the industrial fixture ontothe trailer via the ramp; e) locating the industrial fixture in thefixture work compartment; f) performing desired work on the industrialfixture in the fixture work compartment; g) after performance of work,removing the industrial fixture from the trailer via the ramp; and h)delivering the industrial fixture which has undergone work back to theonsite location.
 16. The method of repairing and modifying a heavy-dutyindustrial fixture of claim 15 wherein providing the enclosed trailerfurther includes the enclosed trailer including a forklift adapted tolift and move the industrial fixture from the onsite location to thetrailer for performance of work on the industrial fixture, and forlifting and removing the industrial fixture from the trailer back to theonsite location after performance of work on the industrial fixture. 17.The method of repairing and modifying a heavy-duty industrial fixture ofclaim 15 wherein performance of work further includes a job selectedfrom a group consisting of: a repair, a modification, and combinationsthereof.
 18. The method of repairing and modifying a heavy-dutyindustrial fixture of claim 15 wherein providing the enclosed trailerfurther includes the metal working operations including at least onefixture component bonding apparatus for bonding components of theindustrial fixture for performance of work, at least one fixturecomponent bending apparatus for bending components of the industrialfixture for performance of work, and at least one fixture machiningapparatus for machining components of the industrial fixture forperformance of work.
 19. The method of repairing and modifying aheavy-duty industrial fixture of claim 15 wherein providing the enclosedtrailer further includes the enclosed trailer including a set of traileraccess doors configured to include a hinge mechanism to provide anaccess feature selected from the group consisting of: a ramp, anoverhang, an additional compartment, and combinations thereof.
 20. Themethod of repairing and modifying a heavy-duty industrial fixture ofclaim 15 further comprising the step of relocating equipment andcomponents from a transportation location to a work performancelocation.
 21. The method of repairing and modifying a heavy-dutyindustrial fixture of claim 15 wherein the enclosed trailer furthercomprises a storage compartment for storage of raw materials adapted tobe utilized in the performance of work on the industrial fixture in thetrailer body.
 22. The method of repairing and modifying a heavy-dutyindustrial fixture of the enclosed trailer of claim 15 wherein theenclosed trailer further comprises a metal working compartmentconfigured to include metal working equipment used in performance ofwork on the industrial fixture.
 23. The method of repairing andmodifying a heavy-duty industrial fixture of claim 15 wherein theenclosed trailer further comprises a hitch adapted to operatively couplethe trailer body to a powered truck for moving the trailer body to a newlocation when desired.
 24. The method of repairing and modifying aheavy-duty industrial fixture of claim 15 wherein the trailer body isadapted to be a movable, self-contained industrial fixture repair andmodification unit capable of onsite industrial fixture repairs andmodifications.